


A Good Brother

by Bajillian



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Relationships, but a little hurt, i love these two so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25562578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bajillian/pseuds/Bajillian
Summary: Ace watched as Luffy set the plate down on the coffee table, and then sat down right beside him. It gave him enough time to build up the courage to continue.“Am I a good brother?”
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace
Comments: 14
Kudos: 109





	A Good Brother

Ace was resting on his stomach, one of his arms draping off of the side of the couch and half of his face pressed into a pillow as he stared off into space. He’d been like this all morning because of one thought plaguing his mind, so he really didn’t feel like doing much else.

It wasn’t often that Ace had a bad day. And even when he did start to feel down, he was usually able to cheer himself up right away. Of course, like today, it didn’t always work. Not even food could distract him from his brain repeating the same question…

_‘Am I good enough to be Luffy’s brother?’_

He didn’t really have a reason why he _wouldn’t_ be. Hell, he was practically raising the kid himself, and there was a lot of evidence that he was doing a damn good job. But still. What _if?_

Soon, morning turned into the afternoon, and Luffy emerged from his room. Ace knew he’d been awake, since he was able to hear a muffled conversation and laughter through the wall, but this was the first time Ace was actually _seeing_ him. It was a little while before Luffy acknowledged him.

“Oh! There you are, Ace!” Luffy said with a cheery smile. He was coming back from the kitchen with a plate loaded with burgers, one of which Luffy was already eating. “S’matter? You tired?”

“Yeah, a little,” Ace lied, and let out a grunt as he sat up. He made a mental note to do some stretches later. “What’ve you been up to? Talkin’ to your friends?”

Luffy nodded. “Yeah! Me, Usopp, and Nami are playing that new pirate game that came out!” he said. “It’s really cool! Our team’s the _best_ , and we’re gonna get the ultimate treasure! But we’re taking a break for lunch.”

Ace managed a little smile. Forced, but there nonetheless. “That does sound cool. I can’t wait to hear all about your achievements.”

“Oh, I bet you’ll hear me cheering!” Luffy let out an excited laugh and started to make his way back to his room.

Ace hummed, and without much thinking, continued the conversation. “Hey, Luf?”

Luffy stopped in place and turned to face Ace again, eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”

For the moment, Ace hesitated. Maybe the question was stupid, he thought. And part of him didn’t want to hear a ‘no’ in response. Still, he went through with asking, since Luffy was waiting curiously. 

“Am I…” Ace shook his head. “Can you be really honest with me?”

Luffy blinked. “...Am I in trouble?”

“No, no. It’s not that,” Ace said. “It’s more that I’d like your… opinion on something.”

Luffy let out a sigh of relief. “Sure, what is it? Is… everything okay?”

Ace watched as Luffy set the plate down on the coffee table, and then sat down right beside him. It gave him enough time to build up the courage to continue.

“Am I a good brother?”

Luffy looked shocked, and the long pause where he was just staring made Ace cringe. The answer was no. He regretted asking and had to direct his gaze to the floor. The answer was most definitely--

“Ace! ‘Course you are!” 

Ace’s eyes snapped back up to look at the boy in front of him who was wearing the biggest smile on his face. “Wh… Really?”

“Heck yeah!” Luffy said, throwing an arm over Ace’s shoulder. “Why? Someone say you weren’t? Who said it? I’ll beat them up!”

Ace chuckled softly. “No one said it,” he said.

Luffy frowned. “Then why are you asking? Are you really having doubts that you aren’t the best brother to ever exist?”

Ace raised his eyebrows. “Well, I’d say you fit that better than I do.”

“Nuh uh! That’s you, Ace!” Luffy said, and continued before Ace could argue. “I don’t know what I’d do without you! You took me in and made me feel loved! You work your butt off at your job so we can live here and so I can eat all this delicious food! You’re there when I have nightmares and when I’m upset! You always make sure I believe in myself, and…” He trailed off and his voice got softer. “Are you crying?”

Ace sniffled and wiped his tears away. “M’sorry.”

Luffy hugged Ace tighter. “No, it’s okay! Let it out!” he said. “We all have bad days, and sometimes we just need to cry! You taught me that, too!”

That just made Ace cry harder, and he wrapped his arms around Luffy to return the hug. Luffy patted Ace’s back, happy to wait it out. It was a good few minutes before Ace calmed down. He pulled away just a little to rub one of his eyes.

“Thank you.”

Luffy smiled. “If you ever feel sad, don’t be afraid to come talk to me! Even if I’m in the middle of getting the important treasure with Usopp and Nami!”

Ace chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He reached for a tissue to blow his nose. “Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be getting back to that? I didn’t mean to keep you for this long.”

Luffy waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it! This was way more important!” he said. “Plus, I’ve got an even better treasure right here! The best brother in the world!”

Ace smiled. “You really mean it? You’re not just… saying I’m a good brother just because I asked?”

“I mean it!” Luffy said. “You told me to be honest, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Ace said with a nod. 

“Then trust me! You’re a really good brother, and I’m not just saying that. Even my friends think so!”

Ace raised an eyebrow. “Your friends think I’m a good brother?”

Luffy nodded excitedly. “We all tell each other about our days, and they like hearing about all the cool things you do for me! Sometimes, they even wish you could be _their_ brother! I’d say you’ve got the ‘Cool Brother’ award locked!”

Ace couldn’t help smiling back at Luffy. “I’d be happy to be their honorary brother.”

“I’m gonna tell them you said that! They’re gonna be so happy!”

Ace shook his head as he chuckled. “I should really go eat something, so I can let you go for now.” He stood up and Luffy followed. “But… thank you. For makin’ me feel better. I’m gonna ask Sanji if he wants to come over for dinner, maybe I can convince him to make your favorite meal.”

Luffy cheered and picked up the plate of burgers. “Sounds good to me!” he said. “Don’t forget, I’m just in my room, so come in if you start feeling sad again, okay?”

Ace nodded and gave Luffy a pat on the back. “I will. Love you, Luf.”

“Love you, too, Ace!”


End file.
